Hello Bangkok
*Don’t worry, I will not usually blog lengthy day by day posts. It was just a short and packed stay in Bangkok and a lot of memories to share with you all!*
It has been quite a busy past few days. Departing from the U.S on 8/26 followed by a somewhat lengthy layover in the Hello Kitty filled Taiwan airport had us all the more pumped to get to Thailand on the 8/28! It is now our third and final night in Bangkok… A city of zooming tuk-tuks, unidentifiable smells, fried critters on a stick and pretty fascinating people. Even after 24 hours of strenuous traveling, we hopped off our plane and took advantage of the full day ahead of us to explore Bangkok. There is an incredible amount of things to see and do, however, we have learned it’s a matter of getting around and knowing who to ask for help and how to just figure it out on our own. And let me tell you… That has involved a great deal of guessing. Most of the time we have gotten lucky but other times not so much. There is a variety of public transportation that we have successfully used. My favorites are the riverboat taxis and sky train, in part because they provide relief from the hot, sticky heat that is Bangkok 24/7.
Day 1: Right after arriving at the hotel, we met up with some fellow teachers. We spent the day immersing ourselves into the city life and way of the Thai people, that included a lot of in the moment decision making. One of the beautiful things about being in Thailand is not always having a plan but just doing and seeing. We walked around Thailand for about 6 hours on foot until eventually getting drenched in a downpour at Khao San market. We slept like babies that night.
Day 2: Erica and I decided to take on Bangkok by ourselves today. One of the hardest things so far is knowing how to get from A to B and then finding a cab or tuk-tuk who will just take you where you want to go without any scams or tricks. We ended up getting tricked into cabbing to a dock where we had to take a private (and annoyingly expensive) longboat to our destination, which was Wat Pho, the Reclining Buddha. The longboat ended up being nice but it just goes to show that you can’t set expectations for how things work around here or expect people to do what you think. Wat Pho was beautiful and filled with culture and a great first temple to visit. 
After about an hour of trying (and failing miserably) to find a way to the beautiful air conditioned malls of Siam Square, Erica points out an older local gentlemen who she feels will help tell us how we can get to Siam Square. He ends up taking us under his wing for the next hour, getting us onto the correct local bus (only a one time experience) and then taking us around the large Siam square where he is pointing things out and showing us the ropes. He then walks us all the way to the door of the mall where he says, “we say goodbye now”. The gentleman was on his way to temple; I am not sure what it was about him but Erica and myself instantly felt tears in our eyes when we had to say goodbye. You can just tell when a person’s heart is so pure and good and although he probably thought his helping us was no big deal, it meant a great deal to us and I am not sure that in America you come across many people that are willing to take that time out of their day to help in that significant way. The mall ended up to be stunning and not to mention had an absolutely amazing food court.
Day 3: Today we decided to do the Chatuchak market with a few fellow teachers. I believe it is the largest street market in Bangkok. It was no doubt overwhelming and incredibly hot but they had some awesome street food and endless shopping. At night we had our first TESOL course meeting with all the teachers in our group as well as the XploreAsia team; it was a helpful short briefing regarding the upcoming weeks. Shortly after, a group of us decided to check out the infamous Vertigo and Moon rooftop bar. Pictures don’t do it justice by any means. It was a short visit because it is our last night in Bangkok and we head out early in the morning to Hua Hin, where we will be spending the next month! We have definitely had our fill of Bangkok and are ready for the next Thai city of Hua Hin!
